Bank vault ventilator



May 10, 1938. W, E; GQEHRING 2,117,244

BANK VAULT VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 14, 1955 2 sheets--iheerI l [NI/ENTOR ATTORNEY May 10, 1938. w. E. GOEHRING 2,117,244

BANK VAULT VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -nxREcYloNS- @www /N VEN TO/e ATTORNEY Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BANK VAULT VENTILATOR Application December 14, 1935, Serial No. 54,449

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a vault ventilator `of the type in which means operated from the inside of the vault will open up a passage to the outside of the vault for sending fresh air into the vault.

`Bank vault ventilators are well known in the art and have been developed to a fairly high state of perfection over a period of several years. My invention contemplates `an improvement in bank vault ventilators whereby proper and eilicient ventilation is obtained without the sacrifice of some of the security of the vault.

In those ventilators of the prior art which have intake and outlet passages, those intake and outlet passages are necessarily connected, due to the method of controlling the vopening of the intake and outlet passages ,from the inside of the vault. Thus, where a rotary passage aligning mechanism is used in the prior art, it is a practical impossibility to prevent the `setting up of air short circuiting passages which set up air circulation in the ventilator itself, rather than between the vault and the outside atmosphere. In my invention, due to a particular arrangement of the intake and outlet passages, 'and due to the particular means of control of said passages, I am able to maintain the pipes entirely independent of one another so as to obtain a very ne Ventilating arrangement, with no possible short circuiting of the air in the ventilator itself.

In my invention, by utilizing pipes of par- .ticular shape, and intake and outlet passages properly arranged relatively to those pipes, together with plunger control means of substantial length, I am able to provide a substantial wall of steel protecting the vault against attack, so that the point of application of my ventilator will, instead of being more vulnerable than the remainder of the vault, be of at least the strength of the rest of the vault if not stronger than the rest of the vault.

My invention contemplates also the provision of rather simple means for locking the plungers against movement from the outside of the vault and the simplifying of the means for controlling the Ventilating motor. The invention contemplates also a particularly novel arrangement of the Ventilating motor relatively to the intake pipe.

More in detail, my invention provides a vault Ventilating structure having a steel front exposed to the outside of the vault, and two pipes running from this steel front to the rear of the vault and terminating in what may be termed .dead ends.

sincethe two are preferably duplicates, there is a passage leading from substantially a midway point of the pipe to the inside of the Vault. vA plunger of substantial length and in circumferential contact with the pipe is adapted to Y slide in that pipe, and in one position, the outside end of this plunger is substantially in the plane of the outside of the vault, while in its other position, the outside end is just inside of the terminal of the passage at substantially the mid way point of the pipe. 'Ihe other end of the plunger is, preferably, in this position against the substantially dead end of the pipe. Naturally, I use circular pipes and cylindrical plungers, but itis appreciated that other shapes may be used `if desired. Also, means other than plungers 4may be devised.

Naturally, when the plunger is in its rst position, with its outside end in the plane o f the outside surface of the vault, it prevents communication between the passage and -the outside atmosphere through the pipe. However, when the plunger is -moved rearwardly, as previously set forth, the point of communication of the passage with the pipe is exposed to the atmosphere, and a fan connected to the passage will naturally operate to pull in the air from the outside to the inside of the vault.

While I preferably provide a suction fan, it is naturally possible to expel the air from the inside of the vault to the outside and rely on the other pipe passage in the ventilator to permit `the flow of air from the outside into the interior of the vault.

The substantially dead ends of the pipes previously described are bored for the housing of relatively small diameter rods, which are secured to the plungers at one end, and to a common handle at the other end. Through this handle and the rods, the plungers may be moved in their pipes. Naturally, my invention contemplates such obvious equivalents as plungers movable through screw threads, electromagnetic means, or even springs.

Preferably, the plunger operating handle has a rotatable T end portion adapted to deadlock it relatively to the vault with the plungers maintained with their outside ends in the plane of the outside surface of the vault. As a preferred feature of my invention, I provide a switch for the electric fan which is moved into position to start the operation of the fan when the plunger and handle are moved to a position providing communication between the outside of the `vault Considering but one of these pipes, Y"

and the inside of the vault, and to stop the operation of the fan when this communication is cut on".

For a better understanding of my invention, I shall now refer to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a section through a vault showing the application of the ventilator thereto, and with the mechanism of the ventilator in Ventilating position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing some of the parts oi" the ventilator in section, and illustrating the ventilator with its parts in non-Ventilating position. Fig. 3 is a view of the ventilator from the outside of the vault, while Fig. 4 is a view of the ventilator from the inside of the vault.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral iii represents a section of the vault wall in which is housed the body Il of the ventilator. This body has iixed thereto a front plate i2, oi steel, having openings i3 and I4 in communication with an outlet pipe i5 and an inlet pipe i5. Preferably, the wall ends of the pipes are screened, as is best seen in Fig. 2. The pipes i5 and i5 may be formed as bored portions of a solid steel structure, or may simply be cast iron or cast steel pipes inserted into bored and threaded openings of the steel body il of the ventilator. Many methods of fabricating the construction will of course readily occur to those skilled in the art. These pipes I5 and it run rearwardly from the body i i, terminating in what may be called dead ends I1 and I8 respectively.

Each pipe has mounted therein a plunger I9 to which is secured a rod 2D which traverses small bore pipes 2i leading to openings in the dead ends l1 and I8 of the main pipes I5 and l. Substantially midway of the pipe i5, there leads into the pipe i5 an offset outlet passage 22 terminating at 23 on the inside of the vault in a screened opening 24. Similarly, an intake passage 24 communicates with the pipe i6 and terminates at 25 in the intake passage of an electric fan 26 which is adapted to pull the air through the passage 24 and exhaust it at 28 on the inside of the vault, as will be quite clear from a view of Figs. 2 and 4.

The rods 2S are secured to a crossbar 29 on which is rotatably mounted a handle Sil having a T end 3l which cooperates with a T slot 32 on the inside plate 33 of the ventilator. It will be readily appreciated that with the T end 3i lying in the T slo-t 32, as in Fig. 2, the rods 20 and the plungers l5) will be locked in the position of Fig. 2. This will present a solid steel front to the outside of the Vault through which it will be impossible to insert nitro-glycerine or any other form of explosive for the purpose of destroying the vault.

Anyone wishing to ventilate the Vault from the inside may, however, rotate the handle Si), release the T portion 3i from the slot 32, as best illustrated in Fig. l, and retract plungers i9, thus exposing the passages 22 and 2li to the atmosphere. Incidentally, this movement from Fig. 2 to Fig. 1 of the handle Si) and crossbar 29 is adapted to start 'the operation of the Ventilating fan 26 through operation of a switch controlled by plunger 3st. The plunger is spring pressed in a manner which is well understood by those skilled in the art, so that in the position of Fig. 1 with the crossbar 29 removed, it will be in a position to close ie electric circuit through the fan 25. When, however, the crossbar 29 is moved to the position of Fig. 2, the plunger 3ft will be depressed so as to open the circuit of the fan 2S.

The scope of the invention is now fairly well indicated. Naturally, various modications of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and the particular contribution presented in this specication may be utilized in various forms.` Therefore, the claims appended hereto should be broadly interpreted so that the monopoly granted will not be limited to my particular construction.l

I claim:

l. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe and an outlet pipe leading from the vault to the atmosphere, said pipes being arranged so as to have no communication one with the other except through the atmosphere outside the Vault and inside the vault, and shut off means for each of said pipes mounted for movement in separate chambers not in communication with one another except through the atmosphere on the interior and exterior of the vault.

2. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe and an outlet pipe leading from the Vault to the atmosphere, said pipes being arranged so as to have no communication one with the other except through the atmosphere outside the vault and inside the vault, shut oiT means for said pipes mounted for movement in separate chambers not in communication with one another except through the atmosphere on` the interior and exterior of the Vault, and means for moving said shut off means to and from shut off position.

3. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe leading from the atmosphere toward the inside of the vault and terminating in a substantially dead end short of the inside of the vault, a plunger in said pipe and adapted to occupy a normal position with its outside end substantially flush with the outer surface of the vault, an offset passage leading from substantially a midpoint of said pipe to the inside of the vault, said plunger being adapted in its normal position to prevent access to said offset passage from the outside of the vault, and said plunger being movable inwardly in said pipe to a second position to open said oiset passage to the pipe and to the outside of the vault.

4. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe 5 leading from the atmosphere toward the inside of the vault and terminating in a substantially dead end short of the inside of the vault, means in said pipe adapted to close its open end at substantially the outer surface of the vault, a passage leading from an inner point of said pipe to the inside of the vault, said means being movable inwardly in said pipe to expose said inner point to open said passage to the pipe and to the outside of the vault.

5. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe leading from the atmosphere toward the inside of the vault and terminating in a substantially dead end short of the inside of the Vault, a plunger in said pipe and adapted to occupy a normal position with its outside end substantially iiush with the outer surface of the vault, an offset passage leading from a midpoint of lio said pipe to the inside of the vault, said plunger end short of the inside of the vauu. a. p1unger in said pipe and adapted to occupy a normal position with its outside end substantially iiush with the outer surface of the Vault, an offset passage leading from a midpoint of said pipe to the inside of the vault, said plunger being adapted in its normal position to prevent access to said offset passage from the outside of the vault, said plunger being movable in said pipe to a second position to open said offset passage to the pipe and to the outside of the vault, and normally locked means operable only from the inside of the vault for moving said plunger.

7. In a vault ventilator, a steel body of substantial thickness located in the vault wall with its outer surface aligned with the outer surface of the Vault and comprising an intake pipe leading from the outer surface interiorly, a passage oiset relatively to said intake pipe and leading into said pipe at a point substantially rearwardly of the outside surface of said body fand of the outside end of said pipe, and a plunger of substantial length slidably mounted in said pipe and adapted in one position to close the front end of said pipe and prevent communication of the pipe and its offset passage With the atmosphere, and in another position to expose the pipe and passage to the atmosphere, and an outlet passage and pipe similarly formed in said body for permitting movement of the air out of said vault.

8. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe leading from the atmosphere toward the inside of the vault, means in said intake pipe adapted to close its open end at substantially the outer surface of the vault, a passage leading from an inner point of said intake pipe to the inside of the vault, said means being movable inwardly in said pipe to expose said inner point whereby to open said passage to the intake pipe and to the outside of the vault.

9. In a bank vault ventilator, an intake pipe and an outlet pipe leading from the atmosphere at the outside of the vault toward the inside of the vault, said pipes being arranged so as to have no communication one With the other except through the atmosphere outside the vault and inside the vault, a passage leading from a point substantially spaced from the outside end of each of said pipes to the inside of the vault, a pair of plungers adapted in one position to lie in the outer portion of each of said pipes so as to obstruct the said passages to the inside of the vault, and in a second position to open said passages to the pipes.

10. In a bank Vault ventilator, an intake pipe and an outlet pipe leading from the vault to the atmosphere, said pipes being arranged so as to have no communication one with the other eX- cept through the atmosphere outside the vault and inside the vault, independent plungers for shutting oi access from the inside of the vault to the atmosphere through said pipes, and independent chambers in which said plungers are mounted for sliding movement into and out of shutting 01T position.

WILLIAM E. GOEHRING. 

